A Day in the Red Stick

Spend a day exploring Baton Rouge, Louisiana's capital city

Baton Rouge is home to Louisiana politics, two major universities - LSU and Southern - and a thriving arts and culinary scene.

Start the day off with a casual, leisurely breakfast at Louie’s Café, an always-open diner at the North Gates of LSU. This Baton Rouge institution offers traditional breakfast items, such as hash browns, steak and eggs, and omelets. Their pancakes and waffles have been featured on the pages of Southern Living magazine.

Since you’ll be so close by, take a stroll through the LSU campus.  Make sure to visit Mike the Tiger's habitat to see the 600-pound bengal-siberian tiger cavort in his pool and stop by the Jack and Priscilla Andonie Museum to learn about the greats of LSU athletics. Head over for an afternoon at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, which houses a permanent collection of more than 3,000 artworks and artifacts.

For lunch, take the short drive to the Perkins Road Overpass area and choose from Baton Rouge favorites like traditional Cajun food from Parrain's, shrimp or oyster po-boys from the original George's or the delicious grilled cheese and tomato soup at Chelsea's Cafe

Head downtown for a little exploration.  Take the elevator to the 27th floor observation deck of the Louisiana State Capitol and get a bird's eye view of this city on the banks of the Mississippi River.  Now it’s time for some free fun—that’s right, free. The Louisiana State Museum in Baton Rouge is the perfect spot for learning more about the state’s history and culture, and it doesn’t cost a dime. Explore the customs of Mardi Gras, view a Civil War submarine, inspect a krewe of lawnmowers and check out musical artifacts from the one-and-only Fats Domino.

Make reservations in advance for dinner at Tsunami, a sushi restaurant atop the impressive Shaw Center for the Arts. Their prime location offers amazing views of the Mississippi River. If sushi doesn’t suit you, consider dinner at Ruffino’s, an Italian-Creole fusion restaurant that’s a favorite of ESPN personalities and former Louisiana State University athletes during football season. Try the cedar plank baked redfish.